NFL Draft 2011: Would Gabe Carimi Work for Philadelphia Eagles?

Eagles could land a massive, physical tackle

It's one thing to keep seeing the same old names, but it always helps to see video.

Wisconsin offensive tackle Gabe Carimi was one of the names mentioned as a potential pick for the Philadelphia Eagles in the upcoming NFL Draft. Mel Kiper Jr. predicted it in his latest mock draft, along with Rob Rang of NFLDraftScout.com.

"In Carimi they get a guy who loves to run block and will sustain those blocks," Kiper writes. "But he can also take on great pass-rushers, and has shown enough that it figures he could fill in at either tackle position early, potentially starting on the right side with the goal to become a starting left tackle."

What's incredible is to see Carimi battle with another first-round talent in Adrian Clayborn.

There are times when Clayborn just flat out beats him, but just barely. The two keep going at it, and you can see he doesn't get man-handled. A lot of times I've seen defensive ends get that quick burst and just bull-rush past the tackles, but I like how Carimi seems to keep him in front of him and doesn't get juked.

There's been an ongoing debate about who the top lineman will be in the draft. Most experts consider Tyron Smith of USC to be the first one off the board, likely at No.9 with Dallas, but Carimi and Anthony Castonzo of Boston College have the most experience.

If I'm Philly, I like Carimi just for the simple fact he's gone up against the likes of Clayborn, Cameron Heyward from Ohio State, Purdue's Ryan Kerrigan and his own teammate J.J. Watt. The kid's tested and proven himself against plenty of other first-round caliber players.

Having been around major college football for 14 years, it's always tough to judge linemen from afar, cause so much of what makes them gifted is hard to see. With Carimi, though, you shouldn't have any questions.

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